Stress Management Program for Parents and Teens Living with Epilepsy

Overview

Epilepsy in adolescents presents unique challenges affecting both the teens’ mental health and caregiver stress. Acute stress can precipitate seizures, and chronic stress can increase seizure frequency and severity. Despite strong evidence linking stress and epilepsy outcomes, stress management is rarely incorporated into care, particularly in programs addressing both the patient and caregiver.

Hypothesis: Participation in our 8-week online stress management program will reduce perceived stress in teens and parents and decrease seizure burden in teens. The program content is based on the Harvard Medical Institute Stress and Management and Resilience Training (external link).

Population of the study: Teens ages 13-18 and their parents

Intervention: 8-week program that entails attending a one-hour Zoom once each week

Control: No stress management techniques are learned or implemented.

Outcome: Initial cohort showed vast improvement. 8-week program helps teach skills to manage stressors.

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Trial Information

Target Enrollment: 100 teens and 100 adults
Funder: Division of Pediatric Neurology/Epilepsy
Duration of Study: Three years total; 8 weeks for parents, 6 weeks for teens

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Principal Investigator

Olga Rodziyevska, MS, PA-C

Co-Investigator

Gretchen Von Allmen, MD, FACNS

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